Mayor Bud Allee reported on a meeting that he had with Gary Hamilton, who has proposed putting in a private detention facility in the Sheridan Schoolhouse. The building would be brought up to state codes at no cost to the city and Hamilton would put up a six-foot fence around the school. The city would be responsible for getting the new jail appraised and applying for a grant that would net them $5,000 for each job that was created at the new facility. There would be an estimated 10-15 jobs created initially; if the facility expands, it could turn into 20-25 jobs.
Due to the recent closure of the Bethany prison facility, there is now a need for a new facility to house short-term offenders. The proposed facility in Sheridan would house prisoners from Worth County as well as some prisoners from Nodaway, Atchison, and Gentry counties. The most time that anyone would serve in the facility would be 120 days. The facility would do their own transportation, which means that there would be no additional cops for the area.
Mayor Bud Allee said that there had been concerns that the Maryville facility would bring in the wrong elements, but that had not materialized and that it had become an asset to the community. The Maryville facility is a drug treatment facility while the proposed Sheridan facility would house short-term prisoners from Worth and surrounding counties. Councilman Dave Thomas said that while the building could never become a public school under the terms of the deed that the city has, he didn't see any problem with it becoming a prison. Councilwoman Mary Jo Hawk quoted councilman Leland Wake as saying that if the new facility were to fail, that the building would be returned to the city in the current shape that it is in. She explained that there would be no public vote required. The council took no action on the proposal; Mayor Bud Allee directed council members to solicit public feedback and report back at next month's meeting.
Thomas told the city council that when the city was ready to plant new trees, that Cub Scout Pack 62 would volunteer to plant them. There was discussion about whether to plant saplings or get 18-foot trees; if the city were to plant saplings, it would be cheaper; however, it would take longer for them to grow. 18-foot trees would be much more expensive, with some costing as much as $2,000.
The council voted to renew its dues for Worth County Emergency Management and the Northwest Missouri Regional Council of Governments.
Water Superintendent David Parman reported that the city had filled in a hole at Goolsby's, worked on a sewer leak near Mary Jo Hawk's, and did work on the sewer behind Jim Steinman's. The city will charge Steinman $175 for the pipe as well as $100 for the backhoe and the labor, which council members said was much less than what would have been charged commercially.
Mayor Bud Allee appointed councilwoman Candy Martin to work on a DNR engineering grant that would pay for 95% of the city's engineering survey costs up to $25,000 should the city get the grant for overhauling the water system. The work must be done by October 31st.
The city directed Doug Allee to get two loads of cold mix for the streets, one at a time at an estimated cost of $427.35. The new city truck needs work on the two-speed as well as the solenoid; the council also directed Allee to have them worked on as well.
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